In today's world of global distribution, the control of fruit ripening is of strategic importance (Causier B, Kieffer M and Davies B, 2002, Science 296: 275-276). One of the major factors limiting fruit shelf life and storage is excessive softening. In this regard, attempts to suppress numerous enzymes have met with limited success in extending shelf life or desired reduction in softening. Ripening is a complex process involving major transitions in fruit development and metabolism to attain organoleptic characteristics to be consumed. Among these, texture is the principal quality attribute for palatability, consumer acceptability, shelf life, transport capability and postharvest disease/pathogen resistance, all of which directly affects the costs. It has been considered axiomatic that these textural changes result primarily from changes in cell wall structure. Cell wall is a dynamic component which mainly consists of carbohydrates and proteins encoded by multigene families. These cell wall polysaccharides are the most abundant organic compounds found in nature whose structural and functional diversity is mirrored by a vast array of enzymes involved in their synthesis (glycosyltransferases), modification (carbohydrate esterases) and breakdown (glycoside hydrolases and polysaccharide lyases). Approximately 1-2% of the organism's genes are involved in these processes, which reveals their importance in fruit ripening (Henrissat B, Coutinho P M and Davies G J, 2001, Plant Mol Biol 47: 55-72 and Jamet E, Canut H, Boudart G and Pont-Lezica R F, 2006, Trends Plant Sci 11: 33-39). Generally, reduction in the fruit firmness is accompanied by the increased expression of numerous cell wall degrading enzymes, like polysaccharide hydrolases/glycoside hydrolase, transglycosylases, lyases and expansins (Brummell D A, 2006, Funct Plant Biol 33: 103-119). Although their general catalytic activity can be inferred from sequence, the precise enzymatic function and biological role of most of these proteins are unknown. Among the suite of enzymes involved in carbohydrates metabolism, hydrolases form a major chunk. These hydrolases target N-glycoproteins found in the cell wall or other organelles and degrade the N-glycoconjugates increasing the free N-glycan content. Furthermore, these free N-glycans are known to have biological activity to stimulate ripening in tomato (Priem B, Gitti R, Bush C A and Gross K C, 1993 Plant Physiol 102: 445-458).